INDIAN HOG
DEER/INDOCHINESE HOG DEER (AXIS PORCINUS)
THE INDIAN HOG DEER, ALSO KNOWN AS THE INDOCHINESE HOG DEER OR SIMPLY
HOG DEER (AXIS PORCINUS), IS A MEDIUM-SIZED UNGULATE SPECIES FOUND IN PARTS OF
SOUTH AND SOUTHEAST ASIA. HERE ARE THE FULL DETAILS ABOUT THE INDIAN HOG DEER.
DESCRIPTION: THE INDIAN HOG DEER HAS A COMPACT BODY WITH A
SHOULDER HEIGHT OF ABOUT 60-85 CENTIMETERS (24-33 INCHES) AND WEIGHS BETWEEN 40
AND 70 KILOGRAMS (88-154 POUNDS). IT HAS A SHORT COAT WITH A SANDY OR
REDDISH-BROWN COLOR, FADING TO A LIGHTER SHADE ON THE UNDERSIDE. THE MALE HOG
DEER, KNOWN AS A STAG, HAS ANTLERS WITH THREE TINES, WHILE FEMALES, CALLED
HINDS, DO NOT HAVE ANTLERS.
DISTRIBUTION:
THE INDIAN HOG DEER IS NATIVE TO THE INDIAN
SUBCONTINENT AND PARTS OF SOUTHEAST ASIA. ITS RANGE EXTENDS FROM NORTHEASTERN
INDIA, NEPAL, AND BHUTAN TO BANGLADESH, MYANMAR (BURMA), THAILAND, LAOS,
CAMBODIA, AND VIETNAM. IT PRIMARILY INHABITS GRASSLANDS, OPEN FORESTS, MARSHES,
AND FLOODPLAINS NEAR WATER BODIES.
HABITAT: HOG DEER ARE ADAPTABLE AND INHABIT A VARIETY
OF HABITATS, INCLUDING GRASSLANDS, SAVANNAS, RIVERINE FORESTS, AND WETLANDS.
THEY ARE OFTEN FOUND NEAR RIVERS, LAKES, AND SWAMPS, AS THEY RELY ON WATER
SOURCES FOR DRINKING AND FEEDING. DENSE VEGETATION, SUCH AS TALL GRASSES AND
REEDS, PROVIDES COVER AND FORAGING OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE DEER.
BEHAVIOR: HOG DEER ARE PRIMARILY CREPUSCULAR AND PREFER
TO BE ACTIVE DURING THE EARLY MORNING AND LATE EVENING HOURS. THEY ARE SOCIAL
ANIMALS AND OFTEN FORM SMALL HERDS CONSISTING OF FEMALES AND THEIR OFFSPRING.
MALES ESTABLISH TERRITORIES AND DEFEND THEM FROM RIVAL STAGS DURING THE
BREEDING SEASON. THEY COMMUNICATE THROUGH VOCALIZATIONS, SCENT MARKING, AND
VISUAL DISPLAYS.
DIET: THE HOG DEER IS A HERBIVOROUS SPECIES AND
FEEDS ON A VARIETY OF PLANTS AND GRASSES. THEIR DIET INCLUDES GRASS SHOOTS, LEAVES,
FRUITS, AQUATIC PLANTS, AND AGRICULTURAL CROPS. THEY ARE SELECTIVE BROWSERS AND
ADAPT THEIR FEEDING HABITS BASED ON THE AVAILABILITY OF VEGETATION IN THEIR
HABITAT.
REPRODUCTION:
BREEDING IN HOG DEER USUALLY OCCURS DURING
THE MONSOON SEASON, BETWEEN JULY AND SEPTEMBER. MALES COMPETE FOR MATING
OPPORTUNITIES BY DISPLAYING THEIR ANTLERS AND ENGAGING IN PHYSICAL
CONFRONTATIONS. AFTER A GESTATION PERIOD OF ABOUT 200-220 DAYS, FEMALES GIVE
BIRTH TO A SINGLE FAWN, SOMETIMES TWINS, IN TALL GRASS OR DENSE VEGETATION. THE
FAWN IS PRECOCIAL AND CAN WALK SHORTLY AFTER BIRTH.
CONSERVATION
STATUS: THE INDIAN HOG DEER IS LISTED AS A VULNERABLE
SPECIES ON THE IUCN RED LIST OF THREATENED SPECIES. THE MAIN THREATS TO ITS
POPULATION INCLUDE HABITAT LOSS, FRAGMENTATION, AND DEGRADATION DUE TO
AGRICULTURE, URBANIZATION, AND INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT. ILLEGAL HUNTING AND
POACHING ALSO POSE A SIGNIFICANT THREAT. CONSERVATION EFFORTS FOCUS ON
PROTECTING ITS HABITAT, IMPLEMENTING ANTI-POACHING MEASURES, AND PROMOTING
SUSTAINABLE LAND-USE PRACTICES.
IMPORTANCE: THE HOG DEER PLAYS AN ESSENTIAL ECOLOGICAL
ROLE BY SHAPING PLANT COMMUNITIES THROUGH GRAZING AND BROWSING. IT IS ALSO AN
IMPORTANT PREY SPECIES FOR PREDATORS SUCH AS TIGERS, LEOPARDS, AND CROCODILES.
FURTHERMORE, THE DEER HOLDS CULTURAL SIGNIFICANCE IN SOME INDIGENOUS
COMMUNITIES AND IS VALUED FOR ITS MEAT AND ANTLERS.
UNDERSTANDING THE ECOLOGY, BEHAVIOR, AND CONSERVATION NEEDS OF THE
INDIAN HOG DEER IS CRUCIAL FOR ITS LONG-TERM SURVIVAL. CONSERVATION EFFORTS
THAT ADDRESS HABITAT PROTECTION, ANTI-POACHING MEASURES, AND SUSTAINABLE
MANAGEMENT OF LANDSCAPES ARE KEY TO SECURING THE FUTURE OF THIS VULNERABLE
SPECIES IN ITS RANGE OF COUNTRIES.
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